Everyone loves Huo Qubing

Outside the city of Chang’an, there are many flowers and green grass. My uncle happily walked in front of the wedding procession in a crimson robe and rode his pure brown horse; Jingsheng’s cousin participated in the wedding ceremony for the first time and rode excitedly on his little black horse. glance right and left.I am still the nephew in the team who is responsible for knocking on the bride's house. The difference is that my favorite white horse is no longer my beloved Huoyun.

"The lifespan of offspring of Xiongnu pony horses crossed with sweat horses is indeed shorter than that of thoroughbred horses. But don't worry, uncle will find you a thoroughbred sweat horse this time." After the inspection, the second uncle announced with regret Clouds only have a few months left to live.

"Don't be sad, nephew, I'll find you a better one right now. Do you still want white? How many horses do you want?" Knowing the reason for my depressed face, the emperor turned around and told the eunuch, "Go and get all the white horses in the palace. Come."

"It's just a horse. Birth, old age, sickness and death are common occurrences. Mrs. Wei should also start practicing riding and archery. I'll take you two to the market tomorrow." Su Jia's face suddenly changed after she finished speaking, and she turned around to support the porch pillars A fit of retching.Mrs. Changping Hou is now a distinguished lady, she lives in seclusion and has more maidservants than before; but even though there are many helpers around her, her face is still haggard.Undoubtedly, my cousin was crying at night, Mrs. Wei was picky eaters and did not obey the rules, and Er Jinniang was the kind of person who took care of everything by herself. She managed the huge Changping Marquis Mansion by herself, and she lost weight all by herself.

Er Jinniang was right, it was just a horse.My second uncle is now commanding [-] soldiers and horses. Even when he is not on a business trip to Shuofang, he is still busy with military affairs, leaving early and returning late; everyone is working hard, maybe I am too tense, and it hurts the people around me.

"My younger brother took my horse. Although it is not a hard-working horse, it is also a rare Dawan good horse." Cao Xiang jumped over the piles of luggage on the ground with a cane, and pulled out his black-maned and white horse. "Anyway, I'm really going back to Fengguo this time. You raise it for me, and it's also a memory for me in the capital."

"Then I'll take care of it for you." I took the rein and patted the white horse's nose, "What's its name?"

"No way, I've raised it for three years, but you don't know its name?" Cao Xiang looked angry and funny.

I spread my hands together: "You know me, I almost never take the initiative to ask the name, whether it is a person or a horse."

"Well, remember," Cao Xiang announced with a serious face, "it's called 'Qubing'."

"Get out." Although I smiled and scolded, a hazy watery light suddenly appeared in front of my eyes.

The maid sister took away the embroidered brocade handkerchief that was soiled by me, and brought hot water to wipe and freshen me up.Sitting in front of the bronze mirror, I saw the eyes of the person in the mirror who were still alive and the cheeks that were flushed with blush.

Arguments came from next door.

"...Aniang, didn't you agree that I and Qubing should be together?"

"I never said 'agree'."

"But we love each other—"

"A love affair? I only see you bullying him."

"I don't care, he's already mine."

"Naive. Do you think that if you have sex with him a few times, it will last forever? He was not your person before, and he will never be your person in the future."

"Mom, what do you mean by that?"

Yes, why can't it last forever?Princess Pingyang's words are as esoteric as ever.

I pricked up my ears and waited for the answer to be revealed. After a moment of silence, I heard Cao Xiang's disappointed exclamation.

"impossible!"

"Is your mother's words true or false, and you still don't know in your own mind?" The eldest princess recovered her voice, "Stay honestly in the mansion for this period of time, and go back to Pingyang directly after recovering from your injuries."

"No, I'm going back to the barracks."

"Qimen Army doesn't need to go anymore. I have already sent someone to go through the formalities of retiring. Eat more dinner, and I will come to see you tomorrow."

The sound of clogs stepping on the ground gradually faded away.

"His Royal Highness!" I called to stop the lady who was about to leave, "Well, the deed of the Wei Mansion—"

"My palace never takes back the first bow, my nephew can keep it for himself, and he can do whatever he wants."

***

The last ray of clouds disappeared outside the brick wall hung with scarlet silk.

"Sister, this person can't drink anymore." I poked Sima Qian who was lying there half dead.When it comes to drinking orders, bookworms are no match for Chen Yan.

"Just this amount of alcohol? I'm going to take him to a bridal chamber later." Chen Yan reluctantly gave up on Young Master Sima, and slapped Zhang He on the back who was so drunk that he rolled his eyes, "Brother He, let's have a drink."

Cousin Jingsheng came over with Zhang Anshi: "Sister, why don't we go and get the groom drunk."

"Good idea, let's go." Chen Yan picked up the jug.

A group of children gradually ran away.Finally, my ears were clean, and I looked around. The plants and trees in the courtyard were still so familiar. It seems that my uncle is also a meticulous person, and the old house is well maintained.

Walk through the banquet, and push open the door of the guest room.The interior of the house still maintains its original appearance, with two couches and two desks, but there is a little dust.The ground was full of congratulatory gifts from officials. The younger brother of Chaqi General Chang Pinghou and His Highness’s uncle got married. There was no mention of being prime minister again.

The sound of conversation not far away caught my attention.

"...The Yang family, the knight's enemy, came to Beijing for a visit, and the new file presented was very unfavorable to the knight. Now that the file has not yet come to light, Yang's accuser suddenly died at the gate of Weiyang Palace. The two cases were merged into one case and became a case Winning the case, the superiors are watching closely, and the minister is also very embarrassed."

"Lord Tingwei, I understand the character of a chivalrous man very well, and I will never commit such inhumane crimes. The visitor died at the palace gate, and someone obviously intends to set the blame on him."

"General Wei misunderstood. This case is definitely not due to my minister's inaction. The people in the capital are all staring at this murder case, and the pressure of public opinion is so great. You must not fail to see that His Majesty wants to punish others this time? Whether it is It wasn’t the chivalrous man’s crime, he’s probably doomed.”

Behind the jasmine flowers, the second uncle was sitting with Zhang Tang drinking, and Zhao Yu, who had recently been promoted by His Majesty to be a doctor of Chinese medicine, stood by with a jug.

Some time ago, I met Zhao Yu in Tianlu Pavilion, and I sneaked a glimpse of the books he borrowed, not only the law "Nine Chapters Law" formulated by the Prime Minister Xiao He in the early Han Dynasty, but also the "Fajing" written by Li Kui, the Prime Minister of the State of Wei in the early Zhou Dynasty. , and the "Qin Law" revised by Qin Emperor Huhai.The last two books are the famous torture laws of the previous dynasty. Now these books appear in the hands of the doctor who is responsible for formulating the new "Han Law", which makes the hair stand on end.

"Who are they talking about?" I asked the groom's uncle, who came over, and glanced at Chen Yan who was successfully knocked down by him in the corner - there are naturally mountains outside the mountains, and people outside the people.

"Didn't the second brother tell you? The powerful Guo Xie was denounced by his enemies, and the accuser died outside the Beisima Gate at night. The imperial court issued an arrest warrant and offered a reward for Guo Xie's arrest. As the general of the Northern Army, the second brother can't personally come forward. I can inquire privately with the Ting Wei Department."

"Arrest Guo Xie? When did it happen?"

"Qubing, you hang around His Majesty every day, why don't you know more about the news than I do, this story has been spread in the capital for at least two or three days." Seeing my surprised face, my uncle said disdainfully.

***

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty." Finally, when the emperor came down, I rushed over impatiently, "Your Majesty, you—"

"Qubing is here, it's just right, follow me to Ganquan Palace." The emperor hurried past me, walked directly through the main hall, and boarded the imperial chariot waiting at the door.

"Yes, I'm going to fetch the horse now." I turned around and ran towards the north gate.

"Come back," the Son of Heaven called to me, "If you have a cart or a horse, come up quickly and don't dawdle."

The wheels were busy, and Xun Yu led a group of guards, surrounded by the emperor's little car, and rushed northward quickly.I sneaked a glance at the person next to me. He looked gloomy and didn't say a word along the way.

Well, let's pick another time to intercede for Guo Xie.

Dawn broke, and the outside of Ganquan Palace was filled with light smoke and green trees. My uncle led the guard of honor for the queen and the guard of honor for the princess and knelt by the side of the road to welcome the saint.

Your Majesty has already gone to the bedroom, and I followed behind the team of many people, and stood at the door of the Empress Dowager's bedroom.The flustered servants and maids hurriedly shuttled between the halls and pavilions, not daring to breathe, and the surroundings were surprisingly quiet.

"Wow——" His Royal Highness was frightened by the gloomy atmosphere, and burst into tears.

"Queen, my lord servant, the queen mother is awake." The imperial doctor ordered the door to be opened, bowed and made a gesture of invitation.

"Greetings to the queen mother later, you all restrain yourself, and come back after you think about it. Don't be rude, and don't play tricks." Before stepping into the gate of the palace, the auntie told the group of children behind her, "My husband, you stand there At the end of the line, you go behind the sick brother."

The hall was filled with the bitter and strong smell of herbs, and it was almost impossible to breathe.The three princesses surrounded the Empress Dowager, the Son of Heaven was sitting beside the couch, facing me sideways, I couldn't see his expression clearly, but I guess it won't be better than before.

"Mother, the Wei family is here." Princess Pingyang took His Highness Ju's hand and walked over, "Ji'er, call grandma."

"Grandmother!" His Highness held up the sugar string in his hand, revealing two rows of deciduous teeth.

Everyone held their breath, hoping that the old man would give a happy smile when he saw the lovely grandson.

According to His Highness's babbling, the people on the couch did not respond.

I raised my head curiously, and saw from a distance that her eyes were wandering among the group of people in front of me, and finally fell on me at the end of the line. At first, a look of joy flashed in the empty eyes.

"Qubing, come here." Princess Pingyang waved to me.

With so many people in the hall, the Queen Mother wants to see me alone?

I knelt down to the side of the couch.The back of the hand was tightly grasped by the other party's haggard hand, and the rough temperature of the palm told me that the woman in front of me still had a ray of life left.

The Empress Dowager looked at me with a smile finally on her face.Her lips parted slightly, and tremblingly, she uttered an unexpected name.

"Yan'er."

Hearing the other party call out this familiar yet unfamiliar name, I blinked in disbelief to make sure I heard it right.

"The empress dowager misunderstood, the minister didn't—"

"You can answer what the queen mother says, and you are not allowed to say no." Princess Pingyang quickly patted me on the shoulder twice.

"Yan'er," calling the same name again, the Queen Mother's eyes flashed with horror, "Aijia seems to have had a long, long dream. I dreamed that Aijia killed you, and you are covered with scars all over your body. Blood."

I looked helplessly at the eldest princess.Fortunately, before entering the palace in the morning, I had already changed into the off-white quilted train sent by the eunuch on a fast horse. If I was still wearing the deep crimson dress from yesterday, the Queen Mother would probably be scared to death by me on the spot.

"Mother, look, brother Yan is not dead, but alive and kicking." The eldest princess answered on my behalf.

The hand was suddenly lifted, and the queen mother pressed it heavily into the warm palm of the man beside her with all her strength.I turned my head in amazement, and looked into the eyes of the King of God—his surprised eyes seemed to hide bottomless sadness.

"It's good that you're fine. Ai's family finally figured it out, you and Che'er love to be together, and Ai's family won't ask any more questions." The Queen Mother's smile was like a warm spring breeze.She chattered happily, and told the person in her imagination, "You have to take good care of Che'er for the Ai family. He is the only son of the Ai family. He wants to be conquered by himself. You must help the Ai family stop him. You Ai Jia is very happy to play so well in several expeditions, and I hope you will continue to work hard."

"Qubing, quickly agree to the queen mother." The eldest princess urged me.

"No." I replied reluctantly.Sure enough, it is a person who is about to die, and his words are also good.Thinking of the green mound far away in Shuofangyuan, the whole thing began to become interesting to me—even if the woman in front of me could lightly talk about the life and death of others, when the moment of regret came, she would be powerless, no? what?

However, there seems to be something wrong with the queen mother's words. Han Yan has passed away for many years, why come to the expedition?

The Queen Mother stared at me intently, and the lines on her skin trembled slightly because of her smiling face.I never knew that the Queen Mother would also have a gentle side, and her kind eyes at this moment sent shivers down my spine.

I remember that the first time I met the Queen Mother was in the winter morning of the fourth year of the Yuan Dynasty.On the day when Princess Wei was born, the graceful and luxurious woman with a smile like a holy family sent me to Taixue with one sentence, and my fate changed from then on.No one can survive the wind, frost and time. The Lord of the East Palace who was cruelly sentenced to an unwarranted crime that night in the Bell Room Hall is now just a weak old woman who may die at any time in this golden palace and beautiful bed.

The queen mother did not speak again.The people around me waited intently for the following, but I clearly felt that the old hand pressing on the back of my hand lost its strength a little bit, and my cloudy pupils were gradually covered by those wrinkled eyelids.

The Imperial Physician Order hurried in, and the surroundings suddenly fell into chaos.I tried to withdraw my hand, but the man held it tighter.

***

A sound of footsteps woke me up.When I opened my eyes, the red rays of the setting sun outside shone into the house through the window lattice.

"Your Majesty is still resting." Uncle's voice sounded outside the door, "Do you know when General Wei will be back?"

"Return to the servant, my subordinate is from the Daijun station. After receiving the urgent letter from Baili sent by the messenger in Yunzhong, I immediately set off to the south, and I didn't meet General Wei."

"Uncle Zi, let him in." A voice suddenly sounded from behind, which scared me so much that I almost fell off the edge of the bed.

A strong hand grabbed me.

Hongling rushed into the hall in a small step, and presented a purple box with wax paint: "Your Majesty, General Li Xi made an urgent report at the border. The military official Shanyu died of illness. Zuoguli King Yizhixie broke through the Shanyu court and established himself as Shanyu."

"King Zuoguli?" The Son of Heaven exclaimed in surprise, "The heir of the Xiongnu Shanyu, where is the Crown Prince Yudan?"

"Return to Your Majesty," the messenger said, cupping his hands, "Prince Yu Shan was defeated and fled in a hurry. His life or death is uncertain."

"Pass an edict to Li Xi, no matter what, Yu Dan must be brought back to the capital safely." The emperor ordered.

"No!" When he took the order to leave, the messenger couldn't help but glanced at me again.

"woke up?"

"Yeah." I yawned and wanted to rub my eyes, but found that my hand was still tightly held by the other party.I drove all night last night, feeling dizzy, and I don't even remember when I fell asleep.

"Your Majesty..." I cautiously pulled my hand away.

The other party let go of his hand, and a smile gradually appeared on his lips, as if he had discovered something interesting.

"Your Majesty," seeing the man's calm expression, I asked tentatively, "Is the Queen Mother doing better?"

"Hanging breath." The emperor still stared at me with a smile on his face.

I rolled my eyes.My mother is about to die, this man doesn't go to the couch to keep watch, why is he sitting here with a face full of joy?

"Qubing," the emperor leaned over and looked down at me with playful eyes, "I can't figure it out, you look so much like Wei Qing, why would the Empress Dowager recognize you as Han Yan?"

"How could I know?" I refused to answer this kind of question.Even if I have no similarities with Han Yan, the queen mother will inevitably be old and dim; moreover, she obviously has a deep-rooted obsession with Ou Dao who killed Han Yan. Han Yan and I were both captured by her younger brother Tian Fu that night in the bell room. She must be old and confused, and can't remember who we are who is who.

"I don't know, or I don't want to say it?" The other party saw through my disdain at a glance.I was so close that I could already feel his burning breath.

"Hmm." The uncle turned her head and cleared her throat.

"Uncle Zi?" The emperor withdrew his hand and straightened his clothes.

"Your Majesty, officials from the Outer and Chinese Dynasties have arrived at Ganquan Palace one after another and are waiting outside the palace." The uncle replied with hands clasped.